13

"She shouldn't have been so mean to you," I defended. "She won't be again. You don't deserve that when you were so loyal to her and gave her so many chances."

"I can't even be mad at you when you strike back at her when she hurts me but let too much go when it's against you," he grumbled. He stormed towards me and lifted me up under my ass. "Wrap around me."

"I get the wolf tonight, not the golden retriever?" I teased as I did as he wanted.

"Depends on what you did because my feelings were hurt."

"You won't get mad?" I checked as he carried me out of there and down the stairs. I caved as he kissed along my neck and told him her punishment.

Also, that his grandmother had been leading Barb into a trap of her own lies and knew Jamie was innocent.

He set me on my feet when we reached the in-ground hot tub next to my in-ground, indoor pool. "First, I think that's awesome, and I'm truly touched you did that. I think it's the only option left besides seriously killing her before we're all dead. She did this after Colton's curse and—thank you."

I stood on my toes and gave him a kiss. "You're welcome. Second?"

"I'm a bit miffed at my grandma. I'm tired of all the games. Just tell Barb that she knew it was lies. Why are we setting traps—aren't we past that? Why give Barb's fire more oxygen?"

"I agree, but I wasn't in charge of it."

"Yeah, Mom said about the same, and she's not doing well either. Apparently, Dad is staying at a hotel. He demanded it after her behavior. She basically told him not to let the door hit him in the ass on the way out and not dare have another affair or he was dead."

My eyes went wide at that.

Jamie just nodded. "Yeah, she sounded a few bottles into the wine that you gave her to sample. So I'll tell her the rest tomorrow. Can you send her a few cakes?"

I nodded, thinking of Patti and making an array of treats appear. "Done."

"Good, now I get to eat you." He mashed his mouth to mind and moved his hand over my body. "Can we skip the swimsuits? Or I can keep on my shorts."

I swallowed loudly. "I think we can skip them."

"Undress for me and then I'll undress for you," he offered. "You can tell me to stop if you get uncomfortable."

"I won't. You're not scary," I whispered, more for myself than to assure him… And we both knew it.

I stepped away and slowly took off my clothes, even taking down my hair and ignoring it had been up all day and was probably gross. I turned to let him get the full view of me before checking the water and slowly stepping in. I didn't go to the lower seat so I was deeper in the water, but the higher one so my elbows were leaning on the lip.

And my breasts were on full display for him, something Jamie very much liked.

"You are so gorgeous that my body goes wild and I fucking drool, Arabella," he breathed before grabbing his shirt by the collar behind his head and yanking it off.

I licked my lips as I stared over his firm, toned, and muscular body. His shoes and socks were already gone, and he had his belt off fast before he undid his pants. I watched as they fell off his lean hips, and then he was standing there in his boxer briefs.

"You're sure?" he checked.

I nodded but then froze, realizing something. I blinked at him. "I want to see it."

"You will when I take off my shorts," he hedged.

"No, you masturbate. I want to see it not be violent. I mean, you've finished with me, but—you said we should do it together, but I want to see you do it thinking of me. I want to focus on you and see how…"

"It should go?" he offered.

"How it is for you?" I asked but kind of said. "When I'm here."

Understanding filled his eyes. I wanted to see he would keep control and not hurt me just because we hit the next level, and I could that way when there was still distance between us.

Then heat filled his gaze. "I've never done that with anyone before. It's fucking hot. You got me fucking hard and now you want me to take care of it before I come eat you out."

"Yes," I breathed, shivering at the idea.

"Shit, yeah, I'm in," he agreed, pulling down his boxer briefs.

I blinked at his dick, shocked at how nice it was. I mean, I didn't have any positive experiences being intimate with them, but… Men hadn't always been big on clothing. Or being all that—ancient men had been gross and peed just about anywhere or fucked anywhere. I had seen more than my fair share of too much.

And even around wolves—I knew what a penis looked like, and Jamie's was very nice.

Scary, but attractive because it was his.

He sat on the edge of the hot tub and wrapped his hand around his dick, leaning on his other hand and staring at me. "Yeah?"

I nodded, strangely into it. Or maybe not that strangely. I was into Jamie so it made sense.

"Can I ask if you've ever had any fantasies? Before even?" he hedged, his voice quiet as if worried he would ruin this chance.

I slowly nodded. "There was a human once that caught my eye. He honestly wasn't all that—he was nowhere near as handsome as you. It was his heart. He was a good soul. He didn't care what I was and was kind to everyone. I had a few dreams that he would kiss me under this tree near my temple and we'd make love in a field of flowers. Silly really."

"I don't think so," he argued. "I'd love to do that with you." He nodded when I met his gaze. "Picture it now. You could meet my wolf and we could have a picnic. You would be wearing some sexy little sundress that was so short I would hope you weren't wearing panties. I shift back and you are tastier than the food. All I would want is you, Arabella."

"I do want to meet your wolf," I whispered, squirming a bit where I sat and thinking of the scene he was setting.

"I would lay you back and kiss you all over, take off that pretty dress, and lick you how you like. Then we'd make love sweet and slow, lazy and gentle like the afternoon. We could have fire and passion later, but I want that our first time. I want slow thrusts so I know you're not scared. Gentle movements you could stop or not be overwhelmed by."

"That sounds nice," I muttered. "Not just what happened to me, but even what I've seen, it's always so animalistic and…"

He nodded. "It can be, and I even have enjoyed it that way, but that's not where you start. That's for experienced people and we're not them."

"We're not?" I checked.

"No, even if I've had experience, it wasn't the right experience," he whispered, his hand still moving. "This is the right experience with you. This is what I want. Someday I could absolutely see tearing off your clothes I was so desperate for you and having you next to the pool right there, but that's much later. No, you riding me. That's our passion and desperate sex."

"That sounds exciting," I admitted. I glanced from his pretty auburn eyes to his hand. "You're enjoying this?"

"Yeah, a lot actually," he panted. "The only thing to make it better would be if you touched my thigh or came closer, but I don't want you scared. Or if my cum hit you when I finished. I'd worry to trigger you."

I didn't know how I'd react to that either, but it was Jamie.

And Jamie wasn't scary.

I dunked under the water so I was completely wet and then stepped out of the hot tub. I moved to sit on his right side since that was the hand he was using to stroke his dick and he couldn't just grab me then or… He wouldn't.

"I like that your body reacts and thinks me beautiful because I know it's not just my physical appearance," I told him, not sure what else to say. I leaned in, basically giving him permission to kiss me.

"I will blow if we do and it might be on you."

I nodded. "I'm okay if it's you. I trust you, Jamie."

"Thank you." He kissed me but kept it fairly gently, even when I pushed my tongue in his mouth. He grunted and I felt a few drips of something on my skin, but I was already wet, so it was okay.

It felt like no big deal.

But also, a really big deal because I wasn't scared.

"I don't want to tease you," I whispered as I looked down.

"I don't think it is when you warn me like this," he murmured as he moved so his hand was behind me, but then moved around me. "Is this okay?"

"On the ground?" I asked, glad when he put it on the floor like it was no big deal. I felt his arm across my back and that was enough. I brushed my lips over his and let my hand move over his pecs.

"You're more interested than scared from what I'm scenting," he whispered as if maybe trying to help the war going on inside of me.

It did.

I nodded and let my hand travel lower. I moved it over the odd skin of his dick, worried when he hissed, but then I saw from his face that he liked it.

"It's really sensitive after I finish like you are, but it feels fantastic to have you touch me," he said under his breath as if not to startle me.

"I'm glad it's you," I heard myself say.

And I meant it.

I didn't grasp him, but I did move my hand over him and his balls even. I did massage a bit, but I thought holding it fully would be too much for me.

"You're getting too scared," he whispered. "I don't like it."

Then we were in the water and I was sitting on his thigh. He was hugging me and rubbing my back.

"I'm sorry," I rasped, realizing tears were running down my cheeks. "I want to. I swear that I want to please you and do all the things lovers do, but I get—"

"You please me in so many ways," he whispered against my lips. "You have—don't push yourself. You'll do damage, and that would break my heart. I love how much you trust me and… You have no idea how much you're healing me, baby. Others see me as weak. You don't see me that way. I'm just not scary. That's so different."

"You're not weak," I agreed. "You're amazing."

"So are you, baby," he rasped. "Please, don't—I don't care what you think you should do or what others do. We do what's right for us. You wanted me. You wanted to touch me. That was everything. You did it. You did it because you wanted to. Hurting yourself by pushing more does nothing but hurt both of us."

I nodded that I heard him, but I wasn't sure how that all worked out. I didn't know how any of this really worked.

My mind didn't work like a normal person's—even Jamie's as a wolf.

I turned my head and kissed him. I fisted his hair and let Jamie feel everything that I was and how much his support and all of it meant to me. "Gobble me up. Show me that I'm your favorite fucking treat."

"Gladly," he growled.

He lifted me out of the water, my skin slapping against the tile as he set me on the lip of the hot tub. He kissed my foot and worked up my leg before doing the same to the other one. He licked me intimately until I came with a cry, and then he kissed me before taking his sweet time kissing my arms, shoulders—all of me.

And then Jamie moved on to my breasts. He teased and pleased them while his other hand fingered me through another orgasm. I thought he would keep going for more, but he moved us back into the hot tub.

He simply smirked at me when I pouted at him. "You need to relax a bit before I completely wear you out in bed and you get the sleep you need before the crazy tomorrow."

And then he did exactly just that.

On the way up to bed, I used my power to dry us off, and after he gobbled me up over and over again, he wrapped himself around me and we fell into a peaceful sleep that way. I was worried that he was left high and dry and wanting, but Jamie seemed happy with what we'd shared.

And that made me ridiculously happy.

I held that feeling close when I woke to the overwhelming crazy. I went to check how many treats I'd made appear from my joy at our fun, and apparently I'd almost filled the huge warehouse.

What the hell was going to happen when we did finally have sex?

"Another problem for another day, you weirdo," I grumbled before heading back and getting ready for the rest of my crazy. It was early enough that the drive to the bakery was no problem, but I still skipped a few parts and seamlessly made my vehicle appear to jump forward.

Nothing shocked me more than to find out people were camped out to be first in line to get extras. People were a bit too ridiculous about things, and I felt that way as the goddess who made the recipes and put the power in everything so I knew exactly how addictive my desserts could be.

But there were limits. Truly, there should be.

I saw Nan and Carmen were just as unamused as I was when I entered, Irene having coffee and looking like she was waking up. Coffee sounded like the perfect thing to have and even a muffin, so I did and then sighed as I saw more people outside.

"They realize it's not even four in the fucking morning, right?" I drawled.

"Don't try and understand crazy, boss, it will just lower your sanity," Irene grumbled as she stood and adjusted her neck.

"How's that deal you were working out?" I asked her.

"Good, we like her," Nan answered, nodding it really was fine.

One of the employees at a different shop in the plaza was a single mom too and needed out of her current living situation. She was open to sharing an apartment with Susie and trading babysitting services since she was on a different schedule than Irene. The only problem was they would inconvenience one roommate or the other with having the kids over.

Nan could sleep through just about anything, so the current plan was for the woman to bring her child over and watch Irene's child while she was at work, and then Irene would take over until she was done with work at six. That didn't seem like a lot of sleep for them, but hopefully they could nap when the kids did and it was just for a few years until they were in school.

Or one could hope it would work out that long. Susie got along with the woman as well, so it seemed like a good fit.

The twins showed up and confirmed everything was set up with the female wolves. Patti was actually helping us out and making sure the wolves that worked for us at the factory were at a safe place for letting their wolves out because of course the full moon had to land the day before Easter this year.

The factory employees thought all of the wolves were at the remote locations handling the pickup orders, but we had others covering it. There weren't going to be food trucks going during that crazy, and we had others from the New Jersey factory covering.

And in return, they received a whole ton of food for their covens and families. Done.

I would have anyways since they'd all been doing such a good job. We'd gotten out all of the Costco exclusive Easter sprinkles they had ordered and a hundred pallets extra they'd added on. We had gotten so much of our own blends to Amazon that it made my head spin, and it had all sold out as well.

So they were working. They were working. I knew it was that they needed the money and overtime with the hard times they'd fallen on, but… Let them. We could get another factory going, but people were buying, so let them.

And Costco always wanted some sort of sprinkles bag from us now that people had gone nuts for it. Another issue for another day. I'd even let them design it if it was such a big seller or something they could have for certain markets, not everything so focused on the US.

The orders were crazy but went well. We had permission from the city to basically use the street as our private driveway so we didn't create the traffic issues of last time even if it wasn't our fault. People could park and get out for more or to add to their order, or one of the twins was managing a drive-up option of only their orders.

And a lot of people wanted that.

But yeah, we started with a lot of crazy of people waiting before the bakery even opened to get extras and the fun planned.

Which was Colton being one of the Easter bunnies. I knew we were doing another sort of festival atmosphere in the plaza with us as the focus, but other stores were joining in now too. Some had games for the kids and prizes. Some were giving out candy for their Easter baskets.

And all of them were thrilled I was bringing this much attention to the shopping center. None were pissy or rude that the focus was on the bakery. Everyone was in good spirits and lively.

So was I until one of the Easter bunnies gestured for me to step off to the side. He wanted me to go to the alley by the bakery.

"Do I look that stupid?" I demanded, my guard up and annoyed that a worker would be that bold when children were around—allowed to be around children even.

"Arabella, it's me," Colton hissed from under the head.

"Oh! I wondered where you were," I muttered, hurrying off with him.

He waited until we were far enough away from everyone and yanked off the head. I almost burst out laughing. He was bright red and dripping sweat.

I made my juice blend appear on ice and handed him the big glass of it.

"Thank you, fuck, thank you so much," he groaned. "This was exactly what I was hoping you would do. They kept chasing me—" He moaned as he took several long gulps. "I did this so you would think I was adorable and not scary like Jamie and—kids are monsters. Do you know how many have kicked me? One kicked me in the nuts to see if bunnies had them. His dad laughed."

"Never even apologized?" I gasped, frowning when he nodded. I touched his cheek and cooled him off, glad when he moaned in relief. I also aired out the costume and cooled it off. "It just had to be an unseasonably hot day."

"Yeah, I think it karma to make me suffer for hurting you when I did this to look cute to you," he grumbled before having another long gulp. "Shit, that so hit the spot. Are things going well otherwise?"

"Yes, your idea about getting a permit from the city was perfect. Over half are just pulling up for their orders and leaving. We're giving them an extra container of fudge or Krispies, but that's it. Mary says only a few have complained, but she told them not to hold up the line and move along."

"Good. Yeah, it's their choice, but enough people complained last time that they didn't want the fanfare, just their orders. I thought it was a good balance. Apparently, the jewelry store is getting some massive orders for Mother's Day. They were smart and put out displays of their custom goods for that and it's going well. They better thank you."

I leaned in and kissed his flushed cheek. "You make an adorable bunny. Go take a break."

"Thanks for the save," he whispered.

"It's what friends do."

For now. It was for now and we both knew it.

For now.